KARIMNAGAR: All roads are leading to the markets at Gangadhara and Garrepalli. Farmers of this drought-hit district are heading their cattle to these two markets from where they are shifted to slaughterhouses at various places within the state and outside.
Unable to have two square meals a day for themselves, the hapless farmers are finding it difficult to feed their cattle by purchasing fodder. The result is a good number of heads of cattle are ending up in markets only to be slaughtered. And all this in the month of March itself.
Though the dry spell has cast its shadow across the district, only 19 of the 57 mandals were declared drought-affected.
Across the district, people are finding it difficult to find drinking water, leave alone irrigation water for crops.The groundwater table has fallen drastically across the district with the maximum water level of 22.85 metres in Gangadhara mandal and the minimum water level 4.50 metres in Sultanabad.
The average water level in the district is 12.34 metres, says deputy director of ground water department N Hari Kumar. “This may go down further,” he warned.